Dwayne Johnson is widely recognized for his wrestling career, even after being on hiatus due to his acting journey. It is well known that ‘The Rock’ persona has already made him a pop culture icon but his transition to acting made it more strong. Despite the actor gaining international recognition with WWE heritage, he once opened up about not wanting to be called by his WWE stage name.
The actor-wrestler back in 2006 opened up about not wanting to be called The Rock. The reason was nothing but his acting portfolio! Here are the details.
Dwayne Johnson Doesn’t Like to be Called The Rock!
The 51-year-old actor, Dwayne Johnson in a 2006 interview with Entertainment Magazine via MTV opened up about not wanting to be called by his WWE name, The Rock.
He told the magazine, “I no longer am a wrestler.”
He continued,
I am now pursuing a future as an actor and someday as a director,” he said. “I am not The Rock. I am Dwayne Johnson.”
The actor wanted his fans to distinguish both his career and acknowledge his ability as an actor. Given that he was already a big shot in the WWE industry, transitioning into acting would not have been easy. To make people acknowledge him as an actor, he wanted to be called by his original name. However, to think that he would renounce his WWE heritage was much of a shock for everyone. But the actor made sure to leave no questions behind his actions.
Dwayne Johnson’s Thoughts on Rejecting His WWE Stage Name
The Black Adam star during a promotional interview for his film, Jumanji: The Next Level addressed why he felt to differentiate two of his successful career.
He told Digital Spy to have longevity in the entertainment industry which was why he needed it to be by his name.
“When I finally realised that I wanted to have a real career in Hollywood and hopefully – fingers crossed – have an opportunity to have real longevity, I did feel that I wanted to be known as my name, Dwayne Johnson, and I also felt that it was just going to take time.”
He further clarified his intention behind being called by his name rather than his WWE heritage as it made his transition smooth.
“So I felt like I was not in a rush and I knew that it was going to take time and I didn’t want the transition to be disruptive in any way and come out and say for example, make a statement and say from this day forward, I will be known as Dwayne Johnson only, you can’t refer to me as The Rock, I never wanted to do that.”
While he continues to explore acting opportunities to be what he wanted, he still feels “proud” of his successful wrestling career. He just wanted to make sure that he made his careers separate from each other which means he won’t be bothered by any of it now.
Source: MTV, Digital Spy
